All Economy
- Prepaid iPhone: $400. No contract. $55 a month for unlimited use.Prepaid iPhone will be offered by Leap Wireless starting June 22 in some cities. Open Mobile has already started selling a prepaid iPhone in Puerto Rico.
GOP outlines two ways to keep rates low on student loans; Democrats see 'ruse'On a day that Speaker Boehner reportedly called the student loan fight 'phony,' the Republican leaders outlined two ways to fund the subsidized student loan rates they say draw on Obama's own budget proposals.- Used car prices: Some models could plummet $900 in JuneUsed car prices have already begun to drop after a surge earlier this year. Easier credit, lower gas prices are among the factors easing still high used car prices.
US wages and Europe's austerity: the perfect stormWhat if Europe and the US converged on a set of economic policies that brought out the worst in both 鈥 European fiscal austerity combined with a declining share of total income going to workers? Given political realities on both sides of the Atlantic, it is entirely possible.
Sell in May and go away: Stocks close dismal monthWith a disappointing finish on Thursday, the stock market closed what was by some measures its worst month in two years. The Dow closed down 26 points on Thursday to end the month at 12393.
Newest jobless numbers show increase in initial claimsThe newest jobless claims report showed a notable increase to initial unemployment claims and a decline to continued unemployment claims while seasonally adjusted initial claims approached the closely watched 400,00 level.
Virgin Galactic spaceship cleared for test flightsVirgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, a commercial six-passenger spacecraft, to begin rocket-powered suborbital test flights, the company said on Wednesday. Virgin Galactic is owned by billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
Tax reform: The cases for going long-term, versus going prudentAs a behind-the-scenes debate begins among reformers over just how to fix the US tax code, some Republicans insist that big, broad-based reform would be easier to accomplish, while others in Congress advocate for a more step-by-step process.
Economic growth, or a slowdown in US productivity?Economic growth, or a slow down in overall productivity? Analyst Karlsson argues that what many economists had announced as an uptick in employment growth late last year and early this year was actually a slowing of US productivity.
As Ireland votes on EU treaty, many ask if it's worth cost of membershipThe strict rules of the EU fiscal treaty Ireland votes on today essentially block stimulus spending, and many Irish worry the country is stuck in an austerity-driven slump.
Academic elites migrate to 'green cities' in increasing numbersRecent studies suggest a divergence is occurring in average human capital levels across US cities, a path dependence story that college graduates want to live and work near others like them while also creating so-called "green" high amenity cities.
National Spelling Bee: 10 winning business wordsIn the National Spelling Bee鈥檚 85-year existence, a wide range of words have crowned the winners 鈥 from science words like 鈥榗rustaceology,鈥 to musical terms such as 鈥榮oubrette,鈥 and 鈥榓ppoggiatura.鈥 The list of winning words also includes several that could slide right into the pages of this newspaper鈥檚 business section. In honor of the 2012 Scripps National Spelling Bee, here are 10 business words from past years that have determined the champion. Will this year鈥檚 winning word make the list?- Booming short sales poised to overtake foreclosuresBanks, eager to eliminate troubled mortgages through short sales rather than riskier foreclosures, are slashing prices.聽Average price of a short-sale home: $175,461, the lowest in at least seven years.
Miami Dolphins on 鈥楬ard Knocks鈥 is shrewd businessMiami Dolphins training camp will be featured in the documentary series 'Hard Knocks'聽 for its upcoming season. While some teams declined offers to appear on the HBO show, 'Hard Knocks' is a good fit for for a Miami Dolphins team struggling with falling ticket sales and a decade of football irrelevance.
Greeks shrug off Europe's warnings that turmoil could get worseEurope's dire warnings to Greece about the consequences of a potential default engender little fear among Greeks, who say the worst has already arrived.
To play or not to play: Is that Powerball ticket worth it?Lotteries exist to turn a profit. If you spend $1 on a lottery ticket, the lottery is going to keep at least some portion of that money. But just how bad a deal is it? Our personal finance analyst weighs in.- Top 40 richest list: Zuckerberg flames out as super-billionaire. Does it matter?Top 40 richest list from Bloomberg drops Facebook CEO Zuckerberg as his company's valuation ebbs. But making the Top 40 richest list is probably not Zuckerberg's big concern right now.
Could gold really be on the ropes?When looking at gold you can be an expert in the fairy tale aspect or accept the fact that it is the ultimate Greater Fool trade, for better or for worse. With levels reading 1500 an ounce, at least one analyst thinks the hallowed metal may be flirting with breaking under.
As fears about Europe's future worsen, the Dow closes downFearing a financial rupture in Europe, investors around the world fled from risk Wednesday. They punished stocks and the euro, and the yield on a benchmark US bond hit its lowest point since World War II. The Dow closed down 161 points to land at 12419.
New signs of global slowdown darken analyst's economic outlookData released this week may show new signs of a global slowdown. But one analyst isn't surprised. From the tech bubble burst to the housing collapse to the resurgence of gold, he's been (mostly) right. Not that he's saying 'I told you so.'
